Smash Season 2 Premiere: It’s All About Drama…And Music [Advance Review]

I’m always happy when I can add another musical series to my TV schedule, and with Smash returning tonight on NBC, I can do just that. Yay!

Not only that, the series returns with a two-hour premiere, which I got the chance to watch early as well as the third episode and I’m ready to share some thoughts on this new season.

I can’t say that I adored the first season of Smash, it had ups and downs, but I mostly watched for the music. (Did I mention I’m a freak for musical?) And so I wasn’t expecting too much from this second season when I sat down to watch it, and was rewarded by a really great premiere. By the second hour I realized how much I was loving it and when that was over, I couldn’t press the button fast enough to watch the third episode.

While this season will not convert people who disliked it last year, it certainly will please fans of the show or even keep viewers who were thinking of giving up. When I first started watching the series, I was worried about how it would go on since it seemed to focus on the Marilyn musical, but this season proves that Smash can spread its wings. We meet a couple new characters, Jimmy Collins (Jeremy Jordan) and Kyle Bishop (Andy Mientus) whom I’m already loving. In fact, Jimmy sings a really beautiful song in the premiere which made me jump on my computer to buy it on iTunes before I realized the episode hadn’t aired yet and the song wasn’t thus available to purchase (I’m counting down the hours until it is… seriously).

We also meet Jennifer Hudson who will recur as Veronica Moore, a Broadway star who gets involved with Karen and Ivy. She of course has some great musical numbers, but I’m still waiting to see how I feel about the character.

In terms of storyline, well here is what I can tease. The series returns with the team still trying to bring “Bombshell” to Broadway, but of course they continue to struggle. And that’s where the new characters come in. Karen has a chance meeting with both Jimmy and Kyle who are writing their own musical, which could be a new contender in the Broadway game.

Now that she’s broken up with Dev, Karen is moving on with her career and of course she is now open to possible new loves…

Unfortunately for Ivy, her indiscretion with Dev hasn’t been forgiven and will continue to haunt her. But do not worry, she is still very much part of the show and I am a bit more excited about her storyline this season than I was last season.

Ivy is not the only one with problems this season, Derek will also face his share, but I guess it was bound to happen… you’ll see what I mean.

And that’s only part of it. Julia’s marriage problems will continue to be explored in the premiere along with her relationship with Tom. And Eileen will also have to deal with her own difficult situation.

So… just another day in the office, right? I guess Smash wouldn’t be Smash if all the characters weren’t dealing with their own issues. But that’s life and I appreciate that every single character is given a storyline that is consistent to who they are and doesn’t feel forced.

And so, as I mentioned above, while I didn’t care too much for the storylines last season, Season 2 of Smash so far has gotten me on two counts: songs and story. Let’s hope it continues.

Season 2 of Smash will have its two-hour premiere tonight, February 5th, starting at 9pm on NBC and will then resume next Tuesday at its regular 10pm timeslot.

About The Author

Sandrine has an unhealthy obsession with TV shows and spends way too much time watching them for her own good. Her current favorites include Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Banshee, Outlander, Teen Wolf, Strike Back, and lots more.